{"id":3019,"date":"2009-11-18T19:05:43","date_gmt":"2009-11-18T11:05:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pinyin.info\/news\/?p=3019"},"modified":"2016-12-11T21:27:46","modified_gmt":"2016-12-11T13:27:46","slug":"google-translates-new-pinyin-function-sucks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pinyin.info\/news\/2009\/google-translates-new-pinyin-function-sucks\/","title":{"rendered":"Google Translate’s new Pinyin function sucks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Google Translate<\/a> has a new function: conversion to Hanyu Pinyin, which would be exciting and wonderful if it were any good. But unfortunately it’s terrible<\/em>, all things considered. <\/p>\n

What Google has created is about at the same level as scripts hobbyists cobbled together the hard way about a decade ago from early versions of CE-DICT. Don’t get me wrong: I greatly admire what sites such as Ocrat achieved way back when. But for Google — with all of its data, talent, and money — to do essentially no better so many years later is nothing short of a disgrace.<\/p>\n

To see Google Translate’s Pinyin function in action you must select “Chinese (Simplified)” or “Chinese (Traditional)” — not English<\/em> — for the “Translate into” option. And then click on “Show romanization”. <\/p>\n

For example, here’s what happens with the following text from an essay on simplified and traditional Chinese characters<\/a> by Zhang Liqing:<\/p>\n

談中國的“語”和“文”的問題，我覺得最好能先了解一下在中國通用的語言。中國的主要語言有哪些？為甚麼我說這個，而不說那個？因為環境？因為被強迫？因為我愛這個語言？因為有必要？因為這個語言很重要？也想想什麼是中國人的共同語言。用一個共同語言有必要嗎？為什麼？別的漢語的去向會怎麼樣？如果你使用中國的共同語言普通話，你了解這個語言的語法（比如“的， 得， 地“ 和“了” 的不同用法）嗎？ 知道這個語言的基本音節（不包括聲調）只有408個嗎？<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"screenshot<\/p>\n

Google Translate will produce this:
\n\"screenshot<\/p>\n

tán zhōng guó de“yǔ“hé” wén” de wèn tí， wǒ jué de zuì hǎo néng xiān liǎo jiè yī xià zài zhōng guó tōng yòng de yǔ yán。zhōng guó de zhǔ yào yǔ yán yǒu nǎ xiē？wéi shèn me wǒ shuō zhè ge， ér bù shuō nà gè？yīn wèi huán jìng？yīn wèi bèi qiǎng pò？yīn wèi wǒ ài zhè ge yǔ yán？yīn wèi yǒu bì yào？yīn wèi zhè ge yǔ yán hěn zhòng yào？yě xiǎng xiǎng shén me shì zhōng guó rén de gòng tóng yǔ yán。yòng yī gè gòng tóng yǔ yán yǒu bì yào ma？wèi shé me？bié de hàn yǔ de qù xiàng huì zěn me yàng？rú guǒ nǐ shǐ yòng zhōng guó de gòng tóng yǔ yán pǔ tōng huà， nǐ liǎo jiě zhè ge yǔ yán de yǔ fǎ（bǐ rú“de， de， de“ hé“le” de bù tóng yòng fǎ） ma？zhī dào zhè ge yǔ yán de jī běn yīn jié（bù bāo kuò shēng diào） zhǐ yǒu408gè ma？<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here’s what’s wrong: <\/p>\n